mauran



Nov. 23 1926.

M. MAURAN MULTIUNI T TANK CAR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 24, 1924 Nov. 23 1926.

M. MAURAN MULTIUNIT TANK CAR Filed June 24, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 BY 322M iZZWORNEY$ i Patented Nov. 23, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT orrice.

MAX, MAURAN, 0F NIAGARA FALLS, NEW YORK, AESIGNOR TO THE MATI-IIESON ALKALI WORKS, INC., OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATIGN OF VIRGINIA.

MULTIUNIT TANK CAR.

Application filed June 24, 1924. Serial No. 722,0 3.

This invention relates to improvements in multiple unit tank cars for the transportation of liquefied gases.

In the transportation of liquefied gases such as liquefied chlorine, liquefied sulphur dioxide, etc, it has been necessary heretofore to ship the liquefied gases in relatively small containers, of one ton capacity or less, especially designed and constructed for withstanding the high pressures of the liquefied gases contained therein. The shipment of the liquefied gases in this way involves an excessive cost for the containers and for freight charges in their transportation since the containers must be returned empty. The amount of the liquefied gases which can be transported in such a. container, moreover, is limited, for only about fifteen one-ton containers cari be directly secured on a car of usual size, so that the load is only hfteen tons of liquefied gas, or one-half the normal load of a tank car.

Tank cars which have a single large tank are unsatisfactory for'transporting liquefied gases. It is difficult to prevent injury or weakening of the tanks, especially by corrosion when corrosive gases are transported and where it is necessary to insulate the tanks to prevent them from overheating during transportation. Also the transportation of such gases in a car having a single tank presents a potential risk of a ma or order in case of accident to the car.

Since tank cars employed for the purpose of transporting liquefied gases are ordinarily so constructed as to beadapted simply for this purpose, it is desirable that the car be used to its utmost capacity since the tanks must be returned empty and consequently one sta e of the journey is unprofitable,

The present invention, therefore, is directed to the provision of multi-tank car which permits the transportation of liquetied gases in large containers, these containers being of such a size as to make possible the transportation of greater quantities of the liquefied-material than has been heretofore possible. Also the ear constructed according to the present invention permits of the shipment of the material with equal safety although the tanks are of greater size than heretofore used, and this car affords numerous further by reason of lhe car of the present invention involves the use of a relatively small. number of tanks, each of which contains a considerable quantity of the liquefied gases. These tanks are constructed so as to withstand safely the pressures involved and. are firmly and securely mounted on the car so as to form a substantially integral part thereof, being capable, however, of removal therefrom should occasion arise.

In transporting such materials confined under heavy pressure in tanks, especially when the liquid is of a highly noxious and destructive character, it is important not only to insure that the tanks are held securely in place but they should be so designed as to prevent the end thrust or water hammer effect which is of great importance and may result in damage in the case of a long car, by reason of the tendency of the liquid to pile up at one end or the other whenever the motion of the car is suddenly started or stopped. The multi-tank car of the present invention is constructed to minimize this effect and to prevent injury to the tanks while the car is in transit, due to strains to which the mooring of the tanks is subjected.

According to the present invention the car structure is especially strengthened at those points where the greatest strains are placed and the tanks are desi ned so that a quantity of the gases having a weight at least equal to the minimum car load tonnage may be transported. By this construction, therefore, the capacity of the car is utilized to the best advantage andit follows that the transporting of the gases is much less expensive than was previously the case since the car is fully loaded in one stage of the journey. Furthermore, the individual tanks are so designed that their contents may be removed either in the gaseous or liquid form and the connections are such that the several tanks may be emptied simultaneously, or else the contents may be withdrawn from one tank at a time. Various other advantages incidental to the construction now to be described will be apparent from the follewing more rle led descriptin; 1

i port.

'the rounded end of the container.

"and thus protects the contents.

a corrosive nature is being shipped.

The preferred car construction embody ing the principles of this invention involves the use of a car body having a main structural member such as a box girder, extending lengthwise and supported on trucks at either end. The body is suitably braced transversely by cross beams, each of which is made in two parts, extending from either face of the girder. These cross beams are preferably of single and double construction, arranged alternately throughout the length of the car. Mounted on the body are four containers, each of which is suflicient to hold seven and one-half tons of liquid chlorine. These containers or tanks are substantially cylindrical and have rounded ends. They are mounted on the car body with their long axes extending transversely thereof, and each tank is so placed that the crossbe'arns will afford the maximum sup- Thus there is on either side of the central girder, a cradle member which extends between two of the double cross beams and the tank rests on this cradle member and is confined in place by straps. Between the double cross beams the cradle member is supported on the single cross beam, and near each end of the beam is a smaller cradle member or block which extends up around These cradle members serve to confine the tank against longitudinal movement.

Each tank has a man hole in its upper surface, provided with the usual safety dethe container may be withdrawn either in gaseousor liquid form: Also, mains are provided so that all of the containers may be discharged at the same time. The several containers are provided with insulation which extends on all sides of the container In the event that the car is exposed to high temperatures, the presence of the insulation will introduce a considerable time factor before the contents of the tank will rise to a temperature such as would create a dangerous pressure within the tank.

lVith this arrangement of the car and the containers, the tonnage capacity of the car is utllized to the best advantage since the total weight of'the liquefiedga'ses wh icl may be transported is. much greater than can be handled by the use of a plurality of small containers, as, for instance, drums of one ton capacity. These large containers are individually mounted in place on the car body and are designed so that they 'may beeasily kept clean, which is a matter of considerable importance when a liquid of Furthermore, the containers'are firmly secured in place and are held against lateral and longitudinal displacement both by means of the cradle members in which the containers are firmly held by their own weight, and so by the securing straps. The strains hich are incurred in transportation are ,primarily'for the shipment of such gases as liquefied chlorine which is transported at a pressure from T5 to 100 pounds per square inch. They are, however, also available for otherliquefied gases, as, for instance, liqui'dsulphur dioxide, and may be advantageously used in the transportation of gasoline, and particularly of easing head-gas, which containslarge quantities of li ht and readily volatile constituents, and which is maintained under a substantial pressure during transportation. By reason of the manner in which the container outlets are connected together, the contents of the car may be quickly discharged in either the liquid or gaseous term, as may be preferred. Conse quently there is little delay involved in loadingand unloading the car. Furthermore. because of the large quantity of the liquefied gases which may be transported in a single shipment transportation costs are reduced to a minimum and the ear is used to the best advantage.

The accompanying drawings illustrate that construction of the muli-tank car of thepresent invention which is now considered preferable, and in these drawings,

Fig. 1 represents aside elevation of the car with one container shown in transverse section.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the car shown 1". 1., showing one of the containers in :udinal section taken substantially on the line 22 of Fig. 1, I

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical crosssection through one of the containers, s how it is anchored in place on the car Referring now to these drawina's, will be s ento have a frame or body comprising a central box girders, anda plu ralit of cross beams extending therefrom. The central boxgirder a is built up of. plates and anglebars in any suitable or convenient manner and is 0t greater depth at the middle than at the ends where it rests on trucks which are not illustrated, but the position of which is indicated by the diagrannnatic representation of the wheels 5. The cross beams used in this body are of two kinds. double and single. The end sills Gare built up of structural members so as to form a girder, in general similar to the central box girder. Placed next to the end sills are single cross beams 7 which are built up of plates and angle bars so as to have the necessary strength. Next to each of the single cross beams 7 are double cross beams 8 which are in general similar in construction to the end sills 6, being built up to the form of box girders. Next to each of the double cross beams 8 are single cross beams 9, between which is another double cross beam 10. The framework consequently is built up of a central girder and double and single cross beams arranged alternately throughout the length of the car body, and

side plates 10 are secured to the ends of the cross beams and extend throughout the length of the car to provide additional strength.

This car is intended to carry four containers l1.v each of which is of a size suiiicient to contain 7 tons of liquid chlorine. As shown more clearly in Fig. 3, these containers are, in general, of cylindrical form, being made up of a cylindrical shell 12 and rounded ends 13. The containers may be formed in any desired way, but are preterably made by welding so that they may be considered one continuous piece of metal. T he containers are placed on the car with their long axes extending transversely of the long axis of the car body, and the containers are placed side by side throughout the length of the body. Each container is supported on the car body by suitable cradle members which are formed to receive the container and to prevent its lateral and longitudinal movement relative to the frame. Under each end of each container is a cradle member i l. secured to the framework of the car by rivets or any other convenient means. This cradle member 14- has a central depressicn l5 conforming, in general, to the cylindrical contour of the container body, and the pair of cradle members 14 thus support the container in spaced relation to the car framework. Each cradle member X- tends across asingle cross beam with its ends resting on and secured to one of the double cross beams. In the construction illustrated 'in Fig. 1, the first container at the right tainer in place on the cradle members. straps 16. the ends of which are held in place in the cradle members 14 by nuts. These straps encircle the ends of the container and may be drawn up to confine itsecurely in place- .ezzcept for the man-hole.

on the cradle members. The cradle is completed by means of smaller cradle members 17, each of which is secured near the end of the single cross beams 7 and 9. These smaller cradle members have portions which conform to the end walls of the tank and extend upwardly along the tank a considerable distance so as to proviue an effective stop which would prevent any movement of the tank in alongitudinal direction. Each of the other containers in the series is secured in place in a similar manner so that each or". the double cross fbeams 8 and 10, lying between the end sills of the car, support the ends of two cradle members extending transversely of the container, and it will also be seen that the weight of the containers is distributed throughout the car structure and transmitted to the central box girder through the cross beams. The box girder supports none of the weight of the containers directly.

Each of the containers is provided with the usual man-hole l8, centrally at the top, and this man-hole has the usual cover plate 19 through which extend the draw-oit connections. ()ne of these draw-oft connections 20 has an intake which lies in a depression 2i formed in the bottom cylindrical mall of the container and this draw-off connection permits the contents to be with drawn in the liquid form. By having the intake disposer in the depression it is possible to remove substantially the entire contents of the container even though the car is resting on a traclr which is somewhat inclined. The other draw-oft connection 22 has an intake which enters the man-hole only a short distance and normally lies above the level oi" the liquid within the container, thus permitting the contents to le withdrawn in the gaseous form. In addition to the draw-off connection extending through the cover 19 the latter may be provided with the usual sai'ety devices not illustrated. A housing 23 with a removable cover plate 24- rests on the plate 19 and within this housing are valves 25, 25 in the draw-off connections. The outlets :tror these valves are connected to name 26 and 2'7. which. as shown in his. 2, extend throughout the length of the car and have expansion bends 28 29 between each pair of containers for the usual purpose. The mains are provided with the necessary couplings and other similar devices so that a connection may be made with the vessel on the ground in which the contents of the car is to be discharged.

Beneath each container and secured to the car frame is a floor plate 30, providing a support for a body of insulation 81 which encloses substantially the entire container This insulation may be of any suitable material, such, for

Oil

instance, as magnesia compounds, and is protected by a sheathing 32 having a rounded top 33 conforming in general to the outline of the top of the tank. This insulation thoroughly protects the contents of the container from temperature changes which might cause excessive pressures to develop. As the containers are of a length substantially equal to the width of the car, means must be provided tor the brakeman to pass over the car when the latter is in a train, and for this purpose running boards 34 and 35 are mounted by brackets 36 at any convenient point preferably on the protective covering for the insulation. These running boards extend throughout the length of the series of containers, and at either end ladders 37 are provided by means oi wiich the brakeman'may reach the level of the car body. These running boards also provide a means by which the workman may reach the valves in the draw-off connections.

It will be seen that the multi-tanl: car ofthe present invention is of simple construction, but of great strength and the individual containers are held securely in position against movement which might resultin injury. In each case the container is held in place by devices such that no rivets or bolts extend through the container wall and consequently strains incidental to I transportation cannot result in injury which would cause a leakage of the contents of the containers. The securing means in each case are wholly exterior to the case and should it'be desirable to remove the container for any purpose this can easily be done, although ordinarily the container will remain in place for an indefinite period, the contents being removed and introduced through the draw-off connection. This car provides for the transportation of large quantities of liquefied material and the tonnage capacity of the car is used to the best advantage since the containers, though small in number, are sutliciently large in size sothat the. total weight transported corresponds closely to the usual car load tonnage.

lVhen the car has reached its destination the contents may be quickly removed from the tanks, one by one, or from all the tanks simultaneously, and the contents of each tank may be drawn of? either in the liquid or gaseous form, as may be desired. Trans portation costs are thus reduced because it is not only possible to transport a large quantity of the liquefied material but the loading and unloading of the car consumes only a short period of time. Furthermore, these containers, while holding considerable quantities of'the liquefied material, are of such dimensions that there is little strain placed upon them by reason of the shifting of the contents during transoortation. in

the case of tank cars -which consist of a single large tank, the rush of liquid from one end to the other when the car is started and stopped, produces unusual strains which may result in damage, followed by leakage, but in the present construction such danger is obviated. he containers may be of any desired construction and can easily be made so as to be sufficiently strong to contain liquids under high internal pressure, and since the several containers are held in place without the use 01 devices which pass through the container wall, even though violent agitation occurs during transit there is no likelihood of leakage losses.

Furthermore, each of the containers is provided with its own enclosing insulation and this protects the containers against temperature changes which wouldresult in excessive pressures.

I claim:

1. A. car of the type. described comprising the combination of a body which includes a central girder and a plurality of cross beams, a plurality of substantially cylindrical containers mounted crosswise of the body side by side, a cradle for each container secured to the'body and resting on and supported by a. plin'ality of cross beams, this cradle supporting the container with its side spaced abovethe level of the body, and means for holding the containers in their cradles.

2. A car of the type described comprising the combination of a body which includes a central girder, aplurality of cross beams and side plates connecting the ends of the cross beams, a plurality of substantially cylindrical containers mounted crosswise of the body side by side, a cradle for each container secured to the body and resting on and sup ported by a plurality of cross beams, this cradle supporting the container with its side spaced above the level of the body, a' mass of insulating material lying between the side of each container and the car body, and means for holding the containers in their cradles.

3. A car of the type described comprising the combination of a body which includes a central girder and a plurality of cross beams, a plurality oit' substantially cylindrical containers mounted crosswise of the body, a cradle. member for supporting each end of each container and engaging the side 7 wall of the latter, these cradle members resting on and being supported by a plurality of cross beams, cradle members mounted on cross beams-and engaging each end of each container, and means for holding the con tainers on the cradle members.

4. A car of the type described, comprising the combination of a body which includes a central girder and a plurality of cross beams, a plurality otsu'bsta' .iaily cylindrical con tainers mounted on the body with their longitudinal axes horizontal and transverse of the longitudinal axis of the body, a cradle member for supporting each end or" each container and engaging the side. wall of the latter in spaced relation to the heads of the container, this cradle member extending across and being supported by one cross beam and at its ends being supported by the cross beams on either side of the one first mentioned, a cradle member mounted on the cross beam first mentioned and engaging either head of a container, and means for holding the containers on the cradle members.

5. A car of the type described, comprising the combination of a body comprising a central girder and a. plurality of single and double cross beams arranged alternately throughout its length, cradles arranged side by side along the body, each cradle comprising a pair of members extending longitud nally of the body and resting at either end on a pair of double cross beams and centrally on the single beam between them, and a pair of members secured to each single beam on either side of the central girder, a cylindrical container mounted on each cradle with its long axis transverse of the body, and means for holding the containers on the cradles.

6. A car of the type described comp-rising the combination of a body which includes a central girder and a plurality of cross beams, a plurality of cylindrical containers mounted on the body with their long axes horizontal and transverse of the long axis of the body, a cradle member for supporting each end of each container, this cradle member engaging the side wall of the container in spaced relation to the container ends, and means for holding the containers on the cradle members.

7. A car of the type described comprising the combination of a body which includes a central girder and a plurality of cross beams, a plurality of cylindrical containers mounted on the body with their long arms horizon tal and transverse of the long axis of the body, a cradle member for supporting each end of each container, this cradle member resting on and being secured to a plurality of cross beams, means secured to the cradle members for holding the containers in position on them, and a body of insulation substantially enclosing each container and its holding means.

8. A car of the type described, comprising the combination of a body comprising a central girder and cross beams, a plurality oi cylindrical containers mounted on the body with their long axes horizontal and transverse of the long axis of the body, cradle members mounted on the cross beams to support the containers and to prevent their members mounted on the cross beams to support the containers and to prevent their longitudinal and lateral displacement. drawoil' connections at the top of each container, and a running board extei'iding across the tops of the containers lengthwise of the car.

10. A car of the type described, comprising the combination ot a body comprising a central girder and cross beams, a plurality of cylindrical containers HlOUIllTGKIl on the body with their long axes horizontal and transverse oi? the long axis oi the body, cradle members mounted on the cross beams to support he containers and to prevent their longitudinal and lateral displacement, a body of insulation substantially enclosing each container and a protective sheathing enclosing the insulation 11. A car of t ie type described, comprising the combination of a body comprising a central. girder and cross beams, a plurality of cylindrical containers mounted on the body with their long axes horizontal and transverse of the long axis of the body, cradle members mounted on the cross beams to support the containers and to prevent their longitudinal and lateral displacement, a body of insulation substantially enclosing each container, a protective sheathing for each such body of insulation and a running board secured to each sheathing and extend ing lengthwise of the car across the tops of the containers, 1

12. A car of the type described, comprising the combination of a body comprising a central girder and cross beams, a plurality of cylindrical containers mounted on the body with their long axes horizontal and transverse of the long axis of the body, cradle members mounted on the cross beams to support the containers and to prevent their longitudinal. and lateral displacement, a man-hole in the top of each container, pair of draw-oil connections in each manhole, one connection having an intake near the bottom of the container, the other hav ing an intake near the top, a body of insulation enclosing all of each container except the man-hole, a sheathing protecting the insulation and a running board extending lengthwise of the body across the tops of the containers at one side of the manholes.

13. A car of the type described, comprising the combination of a body comprising a central girder and cross beams, a plurality of cylindrical containers mounted on the body with their long axes horizontal and transverse of the long axis of the body, cradle members mounted on the cross beams to support the containers and to prevent their longitudinal and lateral displacement, a running board eatending across the tops of the containerslengthwise of the car, and a ladder at each end of the car extending from the body to the running board.

141-. A car of the type described, comprising the combination of a body comp ising acentral girder and cross beams, a plurality of cylindricalcontainers mounted on the body with their long axes horizontal and transverse of the long axis of the body, cradle members mounted on the cross beams to support the, containers and to prevent their longitudinal and lateral displacement, a floor plate resting on the body beneath each container, a body 01": insulation resting on the floor plate and substantially enclosing the container and a protective sheathing enclosing the body of insulation.

15. In a car of the type described, the combination of a body, a plurality of cylindrical containers permanently mounted crosswise of the body side by side, these containers having a length substantially equal to the width of the body, a cradle member extending beneath the end of each container and secured to the body, and

means secured to .the cradle members for holding the containers in place therein.

16. In a car of the type described, the combination of a body, a plurality of cylindrical containers permanently mounted crosswise of the body side by side,each container having a length substantially equal to the width of the body, acradle for each container secured to the body, means for holding the containers in their cradles, and a body of insulating material for each container, this insulation substantially enclosing the container.

17. In a, car of the type described, the combination of a body, a plurality of cylin drical containers permanently mounted on the body with their long axes horizontal and transverse of the long ax s of the body, these conta ners having a length substantially equalto the width of the body, cradle members mounted on the body to support the containers and to prevent their longitudinal and lateral displacement, these cradle members being secured to the body on either side of the long axis thereof, a body of insulation for each container substantially enclosing the latter, and a protective sheathing for each such body of insulation.

In testimony whereof I afiiX my signature.

MAX MAURAN 

